Tommy Lee Wallace hates Halloween II and doesn’t care about current film
Tommy Lee Wallace writer of Halloween III and director of the 1990 mini-series, It talks to Midnight Edge about his feelings on Halloween II and the current incarnation in the franchise.
Tommy Lee Wallace and the Saga of Halloween II
Tommy Lee Wallace recently appeared on Midnight’s Edge talking with Tom Connors, Jr. about his career. A veteran of the horror genre, he has written and directed more than his fair share of scary productions. As most fans of the Halloween franchise know, Wallace penned Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
This is a very polarizing film for John Carpenter lovers. It doesn’t feature the well-known characters but instead takes its own direction. Either you love it, or you hate it. Wallace was supposed to make his directorial debut with Halloween II but that never came to fruition after having been on the film for a short time.
He freely explained what went wrong for him with that picture. Apparently, Carpenter told everyone that they were getting the band back together to capture the vibe of the original Halloween but when Tommy Lee Wallace saw the script, his heart sank.
"“I was so dismayed when I read it. I hated the script for Halloween II. It was the antithesis of the original Halloween.”"
Wallace goes on to discuss how the marketplace changed with the rise of imitation films like Friday the 13th. The violence was too much to handle.
Carpenter being very astute and seeing what was making profit at the box office decided to take the film in a different direction. In Wallace’s words:
"“He did what he felt he had to do which was hypodermic needles in people’s eyes and stuff like that. I hated it. I couldn’t stand it and I very reluctantly said, ‘You guys better find somebody else. I can’t do this. I’m not going to do this.’”"
Halloween II Gives Birth to Green’s Halloween
Apparently, the director saw Halloween II once and he hated the movie as much as he hated the script. When the subject of the current box office smash, Halloween directed by David Gordon Green came up and the idea of it basically retconning Halloween II, Wallace exclaimed, “Oh, God, yeah. Just pure madness.”
That being said, it would appear as if he is not really understanding why Green’s Halloween would even want to re-explore that territory. So, what are his thoughts on the incarnation that is taking Hollywood and collective audiences by storm?
Tommy Lee Wallace has stayed in touch with Nick Castle who plays “The Shape,” in the new Blumhouse production. Castle assured him that the folks behind the Jamie Lee Curtis starrer are “good people and they are big fans of the originals.” Wallace wishes them well.
“I don’t have any terribly consuming interest in it or curiosity, really. People seem surprised.” He went on to talk about what he has dubbed “sequel madness.”
Wallace reiterates what we all know. At the heart of this rush to recreate everything in respective studios’ archives, is the deep drive to make money. He prefers to stay uninvolved in that pursuit.
"“I try to be honest without being unkind to anyone. My best wishes go out to the Halloween people but I don’t really care that much either way.”"
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It is refreshing to hear a filmmaker say that he isn’t dying to reinvent the proverbial wheel. Much like everything in life, trends in Hollywood are cyclical. Eventually, the tide may turn and audiences will see a gradual movement away from sequels and reboots toward standalone material and storytelling again.
Are you a fan of Halloween II? Do you agree with Tommy Lee Wallace’s views on David Gordon Green’s vision? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. We want to hear from you.